The Truth About Whole Grains
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4 Reasons Why You Should Limit Grains
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing the truth about whole grains, including 4 reasons why you should limit grains.
That’s right.
So you want the truth about whole grains?
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You can’t handle the truth!
Or maybe you can.
Trust me, you’re either going to love this topic or hate it.
Let’s find out.
2020 Update:
I filmed this back in 2013, and looking back at it now, I kind of cringe.
I say this because back then, I was very absolute in my statement that you should avoid grains, except during your cheat meals.
Although, I still stand behind the idea of limiting grains, since Living Lean is a lifestyle, I just want you to find balance.
So if I could re-film this, I would simply replace the word “avoid”, with “limit”.
Enjoy 😉.
Here’s The Live Lean Truth About Whole Grains
First, let me state the obvious.
We all know processed grains are not healthy for you.
Processed grains are essentially empty calories, containing little to no fiber, or any other nutritional value.
Although whole grains are better than processed grains, it’s not by very much.
Unfortunately this is what many people don’t get, but it’s not your fault.
It’s the food marketers, and their best friends, the government, who are at fault.
These “trusted” authorities are literally feeding you crap via food and misinformation.
Grains Fortified With Nutrients Are Not Much Better
Even if the label on the package says it’s fortified with vitamins and minerals, here’s a reality check.
Those fortified nutrients are synthetic, meaning very little, if any, are actually being absorbed by your body.
In other words, it could just be a complete waste.
Grains Are High On The Glycemic Index
In addition to adding extra calories with no health benefits, these processed grains are also high on the glycemic index.
Foods high on the glycemic index can raise your blood sugar very quickly.
When your blood sugar rises quickly, it begins the fat storing process, as well as a whole bunch of other issues.
Blood sugar spikes can cause:
- crazy energy fluctuations that make you just want to go to bed 😴
- even crazier food cravings that will make you eat the crust off a complete stranger’s plate 🍕
- my favorite, the crazy mood swings that will make you question if your significant other actually loves you 😂
So should you just replace processed grains with whole grains?
Whole Grains Are Not Much Healthier Than Processed Grains
With all of these unhealthy outcomes, of course the solution is to simply swap out processed grains for whole grains, right?
Well according to your always trustworthy government, the answer would be yes.
But according to anyone Living Lean, the answer is a big hell no!
Here Are 4 Reasons Why You Should Limit Whole Grains To Live Lean
It’s time for me to clarify the 4 reasons why you should limit whole grains.
#1. Whole Grains Are Not A Whole Natural Food
Unlike vegetables and fruit, you can’t just go out and pick a stalk of wheat, and eat it.
Whole grains are first processed and grounded into flour before they are eaten.
So by definition, whole grains are not really “whole” at all.
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In fact, whole grain flour is not much better for you than regular flour.
#2. Whole Grains Are Not The Best Source Of Fiber
How many of you think whole grain bread is a good source of fiber?
I’m glad I’m hearing crickets.
The truth is whole grain bread contains very little fiber.
Some brands of whole grain bread and pasta only contains 1-2 grams of fiber.
This is close to the same amount of fiber as white bread or pasta.
Now let’s compare that to the 8 grams of fiber in a cup of raspberries, or 5 grams of fiber in a cup of broccoli.
Vegetables and fruit are the real high fiber foods.
#3. Whole Grains Can Have A Crazy Effect On Your Blood Sugar
Whole grains do not help balance your blood sugar.
Most people think whole grains do not negatively effect your blood sugar levels much because they’re high in fiber.
But as I just mentioned, this is not true since whole grains are not that high in fiber.
So based on this, whole grains really can affect your blood sugar.
In fact, wheat can influence your blood sugar the same way as table sugar.
When you look at the glycemic index, whole grain pasta is only a few points lower than white pasta.
So don’t think you are doing your belt size any favors by swapping out processed white grains for whole grains.
#4. Let’s Talk About Food Allergens
Oats, spelt, and wheat, which includes gluten, are the most common food allergens.
Gluten, in particular, can cause many of problems for a lot of people.
Consuming gluten can cause issues with:
- digestion
- autoimmune
- neurological disorders
Not only this, but if you have allergens to grains, and you’re still eating them, you’re putting unnecessary harmful stress on your body.
This stress can then release the stress hormone cortisol, also known as the belly fat storing hormone.
Bottom Line On The Truth About Whole Grains
Those were just 4 of the reasons why you shouldn’t eat grains to Live Lean.
I didn’t even talk about today’s wheat being genetically modified.
You can learn about the negative effects of genetically modified wheat here.
So let me wrap this up by saying this.
There is no physiological need for grains in the human diet.
By now I’m sure you’re all asking, “Brad what do I eat, if I can’t eat grains every day?”.
Real food!
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[wd_hustle_cc id=”team-live-lean”]
Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
Broccoli is one of the few with some omega 3 still left in it, hasn’t
completely been bred out of it like the others .
The Roman empire forced a kind of biological imperialism striate jacket on
its population forcing them to eat wheat . Often known as the wheat empire
. Grains are commonly called the foundation of sedentary living . They are
used to forcibly fatten up cattle fast because they contain insulin
mimickers. Large open roaming animals used to roam 1,000’s of miles and now
sit in padlock all day every day dumbed out of their skulls and painful
joints while eating clover , a powerful estrogen. Destroying there brain
guts eyes and joints . Tearing them selfs apart to death in barbed wire
trying to escape is not uncommon . Often giant tumours are found in them,
which used to explode in my face. To keep them alive in this horrid
unnatural conditions , they have to use drugs such as antibiotics for the
diseases they get from being drugged . Cows milk produces opioid peptides,
one of which is 3 times stronger then morphine linked to autism and
schizophrenia , it can be found in their urine . Morphine is produced by
human mothers milk, this creates a loving bond and soothes the baby, as the
baby gets older it looses the ability to digest milk . What happens is you
give a baby cows milk, it will get a dose of opiod peptides that is 3 times
more powerful and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, is a given . So
what then, the juice from a toxic estrogenic bean . I could go on and on
how the farmers scams work and exactly doing . Fuck farmers , it all about
the money and power just like every business. Oh we have to think about the
poor farmers , NO , they are enslavers , food grows wild and for nothing ,
out of our arse. They are in a conspiracy to extinct it all, so your
enslaved to them for ever , eating cabbage, grass seed and horrid shit ,
they drugs. I wondered why the old medical books said all these foods were
all hardcore drugs. They did nothing for me , well how could they , i was
doped up off my head, it felt normal to me because i’d never experienced
anything else. We are tropical creatures and it never gets out of 24 to 27
degrees with year round average of 25 and two summers. every building in
the world is set to this temperature. Humans have not evolved one single
bit in 4 million years . The word satan comes from the word settan ( cause
to sit ) . The word house comes from church, which comes from place of
slavery of animals. The word slave comes from slav.
https://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=slave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Rh1qLw1yy60#t=25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=S3ubag7dtn4#t=93
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casomorphin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten_exorphin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_agent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoestrogen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzP0ausBvQ4
This monkey should go back to sleep. I eat whole grain bread (3g fiber per
slice) daily together with wholegrain cereal and I have loads of energy.
I’m lean and muscular and have competed in bodybuilding. Wholegrains are
100x better than processed foods.
This guy is DELUSIONAL. Whole grains are INCREDIBLY good for you, and they
are 100% a WHOLE NATURAL FOOD, which is COMMON SENSE. I wonder who’s paying
this guy to lie to everyone. I am/was pre-diabetic, so I started eating
only raw organic vegetables, which will reverse diabetes, but when I added
organic whole grains at the beginning of each meal, my diabetic symptoms
disappeared… I mean, IN ONE DAY. I started eating whole grain bread,
whole grain crackers, basically anything containing whole grains. Don’t
forget to eat nuts (walnuts, almonds) and seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower
seeds), don’t eat peanuts though. And obviously NO SUGAR… READ FOOD
LABELS COMPLETELY before buying.
OH WAIT LAST TIME I LOOKED THE MOST COMMON FOOD ALLERGEN WAS DAIRY NOT
GLUTEN???
GUESS HOW MANY GRAMS OF FIBER IS IN A STEAK OR CHICKEN??…….
….. ZERO!!! WHOP WHOP FTW!!!
MEAT AND VEGETABLES BRO. ITS ALL ABOUT KETOSIS MAN. CARBS ARE BAD AND
CHOLESTEROL BUILDS A SMART BRAIN
hey brad! I was wondering if you could tell me that if eating a bowl of
oatmeal with some fresh blueberries for breakfast is good for humans.
There are scientific studies that shows the benefits and surprisingly, I
believe them more than some strangers on the internet. You could be doing
this for money; studies are done for the wellbeing and education of
customers.
Cutting grains can heal type 1 diabetes ?
I love watching your videos but I am very confused now. You’re saying not
to have them but you have in your food wars segments to keep oats and
quinoa.. I’m lost.. 🙂
Now I’m confused… so we shouldn’t eat oats?? In one of your food wars you
had to keep it as long as it was one Ingredient.. I love watching your
videos but this has really threw me off the chain. 🙂
Damn, i just purchased a so called ‘whole grain’ in a bottle, finely
ground, and the salesperson was so smooth. was about to begin the diet
tomorrow, and its quite costly. Luckily I didn’t accept the whole package.
guess whole oats oatmeal is out of the question also? +Brad Gouthro
Uhhh… References? I don’t see one reference to scientific research. For
all I know you could just be marketing things for money :S
I’m not saying I disagree, but the “it’s not natural” theory doesn’t hold
up. You can’t really go out and dig up a potato or cassava and just eat it
either. There are natural plant foods that we just have to process before
we eat them. I’m sure you’re not asking anyone to go out and kill a cow and
eat the meat raw. That has to be processed too, no matter how grass-fed the
cow is.
Does this go for sprouted grains, like Ezikiel bread, as well?
Keep preaching and teaching what you are doing Brad! 🙂 CaliCrossfitter
I’m trying to think of a substitute for whole wheat bread but it’s so hard.
Basically, my mum’s obese and she doesn’t see food the way I do (Last year,
I lost about 2 stone). I told her about you and what you suggested however,
she says you’re extreme to totally cut bread out and that everybody has a
bit of bread etc. I’m so sick of being skinny fat, to be completely honest,
I hate my body, I really want to feel content within myself, just my mum
doesn’t such change is necessary. How can I convince her otherwise? Oh, and
I’m 13 years old and a girl (like that actually helps!)
Makes a lot of sense
omg I’m having seizures because you burst my bubble! hahaha!! Thanks for
posting the video!
Hey Brad, Are Bran and wheat germ consumed separately also not beneficial
for Lean?
So no more sandwiches ?
grains be so tasty thou!
What about multi-grain products? They are the best right? haha
Hey Brad, great topic… I’m just wondering, you mostly talk about “wheat”.
“Grain” is a large family.. oats, quinoa, rice, spelts, barley, etc. Are
you suggesting that none of these are any good for a lean body? Also.. how
do seeds fit into this topic? Flax, Chia, Sesame, etc.? And then there’s
“corn meal”…not a grain or a seed…but a vegetable… we could go on
forever.. lol!! Love to hear your thoughts 🙂
I eat wheat toast & egg whites every morning. No wonder I’m gaining
weight!!!
Nice point Brad and thank you for an really interesting channel. But what
about the problem of eating to much fibre? I mean that becuase the human
body cant diguest fibre, bacteria in our digestive system breaks down the
fibre and in this process creates alot of gas which is not so nice for a
number of reasons
OMG BRAD! LOL no way! When I saw my name i was like O_O and you just made
my whole day! Couldn’t stop smiling after watching this video, thank you
very much 😀
Guilty as charged. Eating clean is still new to me, so I’m making gradual
changes. I have reduced my intake however.
What vegetarian gonna eat then? I’m vegetarian not vegan though I eat wheat and rice sometimes and veggies lentils soup and milk yogurt and stuff
what is the difference between whole grain and whole wheat bread? are they
same?
All great stuff Brad. Way to put out solid information to everyone! ESPECIALLY on the grains!!! 🙂
Talk soon brother,
Patrick
Hi Brad, thanks for the helpful info! For those of us (I.e. Me) who want to include bread in our diets occasionally, what do you think about sprouted grain breads and tortillas (such as the Ezekiel products)? Is this a healthier alternative?
Hi brad, I´m from Guatemala and the elemental nutrition here is black beans and corn tortillas (natural made not processed), so what about that two grains, i need to know your opinion, but in my experience, when i eat those two grains, i feel normal, but with bread and other grains i feel all the cravings, sleepy and slow. so let me know what you think about the elemental nutrition of an entire country. thanks.
Is any kind of pasta good for you?? Or what’s the least unhealthy pasta??
Love you Brad …awesome videos. Before, on another video you said we could
eat old fashioned rolled oats whole grain (the kind that takes 20 minutes
to cook) am I wrong?
What about Sprouted Whole grains…then what is that? Should you stay away?
Brad, it seems like your first three points are about whole WHEAT. What about oats, quinoa, brown rice, flax and other grains that aren’t flour or wheat?
You’re correct that when it comes to grains, wheat is enemy #1. Although I don’t personally eat a lot of quinoa or wild rice, these forms would be better for you (and I don’t have any problem with flax as I classify that as a seed). But if you’re looking for ongoing optimal results, I recommend focusing your carbs on mainly fibrous vegetables and some sweet potatoes and fruit. Save the other stuff for your cheat meal.
Do you even love me? LOLZ
I’m slowly working grains out of my diet currently, but the only grain I
currently eat is whatever is in my bran cereal for my fiber intake. I’ve
been trying to look for something to sub in for it that equals about the
same caloric total with the same amount of fiber, but I’m just not that
knowledgeable about vegetables and fruits. :/
Hi Brad,
I’ve noticed in your Awaken the Abbs Within E-Book that you include a lot of Oats and also brown rice to
the meal plans, and that is a meal plan to lose weight.
Know does that meal plans still apply for that E-book according to your whole grain video?
The other thing is that I used to eat oats and brown rice and sweet potatoes everyday and felt great.
I got my bf% down to 6% and maintained it for very long. I train very hard.
About a year ago I started a new job and stopped eating so much oats and rice because I got to busy, so started feeling weaker and gained some bf% and I’m still training my bud off.
On Saturdays I have a high carb day, I eat a lot of oats, sushi(with the rice post workout), brown rice sweet potatoes, All bran cereals and I feel great and my muscles totally shows, I feel and look much leaner!
Please comment on this Brad cause I am so confused to what you said in your video!
Thanks
Lourens from South Africa.
Hi Lourens,
Your results speak for themselves my friend. Your body seems to react well to those foods (unlike a large percentage of the population). I wrote Awaken The Abs Within a few years ago and since I’m continuously testing new methods on my own body, I’ve noticed a big change in energy and appetite control since I’ve gone off grains and focused mainly on protein, fat, and veggies (I would have grains on my cheat day though). But everything I talk about are just ideas. It’s up to you to find out what works best for you. Keep up the great work dude.
I gave up grains on January 1st 2013 and never looked back!
I eat whole grains. Now what am I going to replace it with?
what about quinoa?
*swings lmao food omg wings lol
Moods wings definitely lol
what about quinoa and buckwheat? (I think they are some sort of a seed) Or
Wild rice? Are this acceptable after/before workout or I should eliminate
them as well? Thx alot for this great videos! 🙂
Omg I swear you are HILARIOUS!!!!Am I the only one cracking up here?!
Brad please make a video about the best time to work out and if its good to
work out on an empty stomach etc. Hugs from Houston, TX!
It’s so hard not to eat bread. Pita bread. Central American tortillas.
Ahhh. Lol. I think imma try this. Substitute bread for lettuce. Lil by lil
of course.
Rolled oats, white rice, brown rice, fiber one chocolate cereal, oat bran
… everything is bad right?
Winner is sweet potatoes ! Yellow or ReD either is fine.
And greek yogurt is junk too filled with sugar.
Yes I am trying to aviod grains.. Crossfit style baby..
Milk is BAD TOO !
I began my Paleo template July 2011 and feel so much healthier. I enjoy
grains rarely as a treat, and when I do it’s usually rice. Wheat makes me
feel awful so I avoid it even in treat meals.
Then what carbs are the best sources of energy then? I play lots of sports
and eat lots of pasta and rice…
I only eat Quinoa on daily basis. I workout 3 times per week , my overall
body weight and belly is continuously shrinking at a slow and steady pace.
Can’t live on meat because my body ends up producing too much of Uric Acid.
Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Only on my cheat meal!
This applies to sprouted bread as well ?? 🙁
you didnt say who won!
What about the countries who eat rice esp white?
wow a 132 Bucks for that food? ! where do you live? wooooooo. I
was off by fifty bucks.
I started my fast when you did and so when the fast in over I have a baby
spinach salad with chicken then far east blend mix veggies and peas and
carrots with half a cup cottage cheese 2 percent. .then its whole grains
and beans and almonds and avocado and turkey slices for 1500 calories a day
I started my fast when you did and so when the fast in over I have a baby
spinach salad with chicken then far east blend mix veggies and peas and
carrots with half a cup cottage cheese 2 percent. .then its whole grains
and beans and almonds and avocado and turkey slices for 1500 calories a day
Do you still eat whole grains?